any way of taking gmail off an android phone?

[DB731]

without wiping out pics and downloaded game apps?

 

[1SHOT1KILL]

Root the phone, install titanium back up, delete away...

 

[Planterz]

Yes, like 1S1K mentioned, if you root your phone, you can delete it.

Rooting, if you don't know, is basically giving yourself "administrator"-type privileges, which, without getting too technical, allows you to mess around with things on your phone that they otherwise prevent you from messing with, because it's very easy to screw things up (trust me, I know). Rooting can be simple, or extremely complex, or sometimes even impossible (it depends on your phone's brand, model, and carrier), and when you mess around with such things, there's always the risk of "bricking" your phone (it's called that because you essentially turn your phone into a very expensive, useless brick).

When rooted, you can use a number of different apps to remove Gmail, or other "system" apps. The real advantage of this is you can delete bloatware - aka craplicatoins - that you don't want and just take up space (like NFL Mobile). Titanium Backup is one of the most useful and popular, as is Rom Toolbox (a fantastic app with a huge range of capabilities), and others. ALWAYS back up the app first. In fact, when messing around with core system apps like Gmail, back everything up, just in case. You can always undo it. A better option, which those apps will also be able to do, is "freeze" the app. When frozen, the app is still there, but it doesn't function or show up in your app tray, doesn't trigger update notices, etc. And it's a simple task to "thaw" it. The main reason to freeze an app, rather than removing it, is that messing with system apps can cause serious issues. Removing something like Gmail, since it's integrally tied-in with your google account(s), other apps and core functions expect Gmail to be there. You could be trying something with another app, which wants to access Gmail, but it can't, so it crashes. You just don't know what might happen until you do it.

Frankly though, I have to wonder and ask why you want to remove Gmail. If it's simply because you don't want to receive notifications, or you want to cut yourself off from email communication when you're not at home, or maybe you just don't use gmail, then it's no difficult task to turn those functions off. Go into the Gmail app, tap your menu button (the 3 horizontal lines), tap Settings, tap your account, uncheck Notifications and uncheck Sync Gmail. It's that simple. If you have multiple accounts, do the same for all.

 

[Planterz]

It should be mentioned that rooting your phone voids the manufacturer warranty, if that's an issue. But rooting is reversible, as is anything else you might do while rooted, and when undone, nobody will be the wiser. Some newer phones (like the Galaxy S4) have a root logger, which alerts them to the fact that you've rooted it, but there's ways around that as well. Rooting your Android has some very cool benefits with the stuff you can do with it. It's up to you whether it's worth it.

 

[DB731]

Frankly though, I have to wonder and ask why you want to remove Gmail. If it's simply because you don't want to receive notifications, or you want to cut yourself off from email communication when you're not at home, or maybe you just don't use gmail, then it's no difficult task to turn those functions off. Go into the Gmail app, tap your menu button (the 3 horizontal lines), tap Settings, tap your account, uncheck Notifications and uncheck Sync Gmail. It's that simple. If you have multiple accounts, do the same for all.

For a while I did this to get rid of the notifications: I changed my google password on the computer. Voila. No new mail on the phone. ha ha

However, today I updated the password (to send some pics from the phone to myself, as I don't know how else to do it), and noticed that the battery seems to discharge a lot quicker. Then, I got thinking about data mining and all those privacy issues, and I wondered if I really need that gmail crap on my phone to begin with. Then, the phone tells me that the only way to delete gmail is to go back to the factory settings.

The other stuff ("rooting" for example) is way over my head..

 

[Planterz]

For a while I did this to get rid of the notifications: I changed my google password on the computer. Voila. No new mail on the phone. ha ha

If you keep it unsynced, and keep notifications off, changing the password won't be necessary.

However, today I updated the password (to send some pics from the phone to myself, as I don't know how else to do it),

The best way is some sort of cloud storage app. There's Google Drive, but if you want to get away from Google services, Dropbox is a great option. You install it on your computer and your phone, and all you have to do is place whatever in your Dropbox (from either your computer or your phone) and it's accessible from anywhere.

and noticed that the battery seems to discharge a lot quicker.

Having Gmail, or any such app synced shouldn't put much of a drain on the battery at all. The 2 main battery drainers are using 3G/4G or wifi data and the screen. Simply having the screen on takes 60-90% of your battery, depending on what else you're doing. And then if you're using data - like web browsing, poking around eBay or Amazon, or uploading/downloading, that's a big battery drainer (although the screen is the primary battery killer). Simply having wi-fi on drains minimal battery - it only drains significantly when actually being used to transmit data.

Then, I got thinking about data mining and all those privacy issues, and I wondered if I really need that gmail crap on my phone to begin with. Then, the phone tells me that the only way to delete gmail is to go back to the factory settings.

The other stuff ("rooting" for example) is way over my head..

Just unsync Gmail. You don't need to unsync anything else you might have, such as a weather app, or Facebook, Words With Friends. Data mining is mostly harmless, even for the most paranoid, but with Google, some is inevitable. However, most of the time, you can "opt-out" of such things. Obviously, some data mining is used for advertising. Most is merely for apps or websites that you can use to make your life easier, if you use them (like Google Now, or Maps).

If you want to avoid data mining, go into any Google branded app (go to your main Settings, tap Apps or Manage Apps), and reset data on all them. If you use any of those apps, you may get a prompt to allow Google services to collect data, and then you opt-out. Use a different browser than the default or Chrome, or go into the settings of Chrome and opt-out of any data mining. If you're really paranoid, you can turn off the Locator Services (GPS), since this allows Google to know where you are, but IMO, that's pointless and counter-productive to owning a smartphone. So Google knows where you are. BFD. If you need to find a place on a map, or wonder how the weather will be in 3 hours, you need GPS services.

 

[DB731]

Thank you, all good ideas. Much appreciated. :thumbup::thumbup: